Comforts
by chrlte
Summary: Nico is dreading the quest he has to leave for the next day, while pondering his past and present at 3 in the morning, he gets a unpredicted knock on the door from a completely broken Percy. One-shot, one sided Percico/Nicercy (Nico), set after HoH and mention of other characters.


**_/First time I've written fanfiction, havn't finished HoH so sorry if anything seems out of place, enjoy _(^_^)_/_**

Trying to sleep before a quest was a daunting task. I probably tossed around in the black quilts of cabin 13 for gods knows how long. It was especially daunting because this was my first assigned quest so I felt a larger sense of duty, and must I say it, I was scared. I didn't know how to handle being the leader of a quest. I was just the guy who occasionally turned up to help out or was found by coincidence. I deemed myself as inconvenience no matter how many times my 'friends' told me otherwise. I would never know if the appreciated me as much as I did them. They'd saved me so many times, whether it was getting me out of the questions of whether or not I was a permanent resident, or out of what I like to call 'The jar of death' of which two oh so kind twin giants kept me as bait. I shuddered at the extremely unpleasant memory. I've always known as a half-blood, especially with my father being Hades, that I was going to die at an earlier age, But I had never been so close to death when in that jar.

I sighed miserably after realising that I wouldn't get to sleep with thoughts like that. Instead I turned on the lights by using the clapping sensor Leo had kindly installed into the cabin. Now Hazel was living at Camp Jupiter with Frank, Jason and Annabeth I felt more alone than usual. The four had gone off to college at the camp leaving a miserable Percy a lonely me, a seemingly okay piper and Leo plenty of time to build unnecessary items for the camp, example A being the clapping sensors. But where would I start with Percy Jackson. I know that I no longer liked him in _that way_, but it still made me sad to see him in a miserable state. He had always been so cheerful and adamant with me, I mean he laughed in Tartarus, but it got to the point where I loved him. Thankfully though, that was a long time ago and now I've worked out my sexuality and antisocial problems alike. I came to the conclusion that I was bi, as someone who had only found girls pretty, well, until I met the pretty-boy known as Percy. Also I could now comfortably sit next to a stranger, and I didn't mind human contact (although I didn't find it enjoyable). Granting this I was definitely putting my life back together piece by piece and I guess I should say I was starting to feel a little more sane. Yet here I was, preparing for another quest which I decided to invite Leo and Piper with me for, despite his multiple questions after declaring this I couldn't see Percy through a quest. I knew it was selfish but he had been through so much more than me that he deserved a break. Especially when he was still recovering from Tartarus. I knew he was going to be lonely while we were away but another quest would definitely be the one that broke him in two.

I jumped up at a knock on the door. Checking my clock that hung itself at the opposite end of my bunk bed. 3.24am was most certainly too late, well, early for anyone human to be out there. But my lights were on so I could see the silhouette of a person through the silk cream curtains which contrasted starkly against the heavy black door. I sighed deeply as I quite literally jumped out of the bunk wearing nothing but pac-man decorated pj bottoms. Opening the door I was overwhelmed with surprise at the sight in front of me. A sweating Percy Jackson stood in front of me, his hair sticking to his forehead and a XXL t-shirt clung to his body. His eyes were red and puffy, tear stains ran down his cheeks and he was visibly shaking, gripping onto a wooden beam on the cabins porch as if his life depended on it.

'couldn't sleep?' I noticed that my own voice was hoarse, and it cracked when asking the question, seeing Percy broken like this had even caused my eyes to start watering slightly, and I felt a single tear trickle down my cheek. He just shook his head and before I knew it I was hugging him tightly. While I was slowly picking up the pieces that were my life, Percy was dropping them, slowly crumbling away. He didn't react at first and I started to panic in my head slightly of what I could have done wrong, but I then felt his arms wrap loosely around my waist, his hands gripped my non-existent t-shirt and his body slumped. I felt his head rest in the crook of my neck and I instantly felt my shoulder dampen. Soon his body was wracking with sobs. I picked him up bridesmaid style and he was surprisingly light despite our height difference (him being taller). I knew he hadn't been eating much recently but I didn't think he would lose weight. He kept his head buried in my shoulder as I shut the door and carried him to the bunk below mine. I laid him down as he shook and I went to untangle him from my form.

'don't go' I stopped moving at the barely coherent whisper. 'please don't leave, Nico please' my plan to get him a glass of water and some oreos was immediately thrown out the window at this point. He was holding onto my arm and looking up at me expectantly so a laid down next to him and he curled into my chest. He sighed and he stopped shaking and spoke in a less heartbreaking voice, 'mom has cancer' all thoughts of the quest left my mind as he started shaking for a few more minutes, trying his best to calm himself down. I stroked his hair absent-mindedly and said a meaningful 'I'm sorry, you and your family deserve better' he only sobbed more. I was wrong about a quest being the breaking point.

Around twenty minutes later I felt his body go limp, and light snores tickled my chest. He was curled into a literal ball and I smiled softly. 'I was just starting to get over you Percy' I whispered and laughed lightly but with slight bitterness 'Damn it Percy Jackson'. I kissed his forehead before fully relaxing my body, I clapped lightly for the lights to turn off and stroked his hair absent-mindedly again till I myself fell asleep. Although just before that I swear I heard a light chuckle against my chest.

**_/fin, hope it was decent only whipped it up in about 30 mins :))/_**


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